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Hiker assaulted in Elizabethtown by two men, State Police say

ELIZABETHTOWN — A hiker from out of state was assaulted in Elizabethtown on Sunday. Two local men have been charged in connection with the attack.

New York State Police charged Sean R. Gallagher, 37, of Westport, with second-degree assault, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, physical evidence tampering, third-degree criminal mischief, second-degree menacing and unlawful growing of cannabis in violation of the state Public Health Law. Twenty-six-year-old Alan R. Smith of Plattsburgh was charged with tampering with physical evidence, third-degree criminal mischief and assault in the third degree.

State Police say they responded to Meigsville Road at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday after receiving a call about an injured man. Their investigation found that a 48-year-old male hiker who was visiting from out of state was the victim of the attack. Police did not name the alleged victim or say which state he was from.

Police say that the hiker accepted a ride from Gallagher and Smith. The two punched the hiker in the face and in the head with their fists and the end of a shotgun. Police did not say why they allegedly attacked him.

The hiker suffered “multiple bruises and lacerations to his head and face, including a broken orbital bone,” according to a news release from State Police. He was taken to Elizabethtown Community Hospital by ambulance for treatment.

Gallagher was arraigned in Chesterfield Town Court and remanded to the Essex County Jail in Lewis on $5,000 bond. Smith was arraigned in Westport Town Court and released. He’s scheduled to reappear in Elizabethtown court at a later date.

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